New rail link aimed at spreading city's wealth

MUMBAI: The state government plans to establish a high-speed railway link connecting Mumbai to three other major urban conglomerates — Pune, Aurangabad and Nashik. The government essentially wants the Railway Board to find out if the project is technically feasible and work out the cost estimate. The feasibility survey would cost Rs 5 crore, a sum that the Budget '06-07 has provided for.

Mumbai's infrastructure woes had necessitated the need for this out- of-the-box thinking, sources said. "Maharashtra is clearly an example of inequitable socio-economic growth. Much of the economic activity is concentrated in Mumbai, and despite its several handicaps, the city still beckons hordes of job-seekers.

But Mumbai's infrastructure is cracking up and it just cannot take in more people. In the present situation, where do you build affordable houses for millions of people? How do you guarantee them a quality of life that matches with their earnings?" a senior Mantralaya bureaucrat wondered.

So, the high-speed railway link project is aimed at distributing Mumbai's wealth among its relatively poorer sister cities and channelise the mega city's spill-over benefits. "A resident of Nashik, some 200 km away, would work in Mumbai and earn a handsome salary.

But he would live in Nashik, thanks to the fast connectivity, and spend his money in Nashik itself on a quality life. Nashik would prosper, but not at the cost of Mumbai because this decentralisation of wealth would ease out the population burden on Mumbai," another bureaucrat in the know of the proposal told ET.